We’ve been so busy with the upcoming holidays!  It’s amazing how much stuff you can cram into one little weekend! 

Saturday, my friend Cristi and I took LittleMan and her little boy, Hunter shopping for a day.  LOL!  We went to an arts and crafts expo at the local civic center, then went to Hobby Lobby and Sam’s Club.  We had a pretty good time and then took the kids to Olive Garden to eat.  That was interesting.  The Sam’s Club trip yielded lots of good food and a gigantic package of grapes that LittleMan just HAD to have after eating a sample.  (I guess that serves me right for grazing and not buying when I go in there sometimes). 

Sunday after church, we went grocery shopping and came home to cook a HUGE supper for Hooker and her boyfriend, and her mom, dad, brother and his girlfriend, my mom, and Scuba Steve.  We had ham, mashed potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, crescent rolls (I love those!), sweet potato casserole, broccoli with potatoes and cheese, corn, pecan pie, and cheesecake.  It was yummy (and I was stuffed).  I love to cook big meals, but have to invite people over so that the food doesn’t go to waste.

We are all eating at my mom’s again on Wednesday night and I am going to try to remember and take lots of pictures.  I love family pictures and don’t have nearly enough of them.  I wish I had gotten some last night, but being the one doing all of the cooking, I was way too busy!  

After everyone left, I realized what the holiday was all about.  One of the people at our gathering last night really broke my heart.  This person is going through a lot at home and was so glad to be invited to eat with us and thanked us multiple times.  I’ve never been at a point where I felt alone.  My family is HUGE, and as our preacher pointed out yesterday, we are like the mob…we always travel in little family cliques.  I can’t imagine not having that strong family background to fall back on.  I know that at any given time Hooker’s mom and dad would take me in, no questions asked, if I needed.  I know that my aunt Sarah (the crazy one….all families have them  I guess) would give me the clothes off her back if I needed.  I just can’t imagine not having that.  So, this Thanksgiving, the old cliché is actually true, I am most thankful for my family.  It just took seeing us through the eyes of someone else to realize it.